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Google using breadcrumbs in SERPs

Just came across a very interesting Google search result which used breadcrumb data in the URL area – shown in the screenshot below. Very interesting implications beyond just the display here – it proves that Google is reading and understanding breadcrumb data. Weirdly in both examples below, the page title structure reflects the breadcrumb structure quite closely.

motability

If you’re not already using breadcrumbs in your website architecture, now’s the time to start adding them…

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Posted in seo.

By rob
July 16, 2009

11 comments

11 Responses

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  1. Lessy said
    on July 17, 2009

    Could you please post the URL where this has happened?
    Or at least the TLD of the Google-site, where this was occuring would be good…
    Thanks

  2. rob said
    on July 17, 2009

    sure, sorry forgot to add that :)
    http://www.google.com/search?q=motability

  3. Lessy said
    on July 17, 2009

    Uhm, okay – didn’t think it was the standard-US domain…
    I could reproduce it neither on .co.uk or on .com.
    Strange, but might just been a test.

  4. slink said
    on July 22, 2009

    Isn’t this an effect of an extension installed on your browser?

  5. rob said
    on July 22, 2009

    Nope – there’s no Firefox extension I’m aware of that causes this effect, and I’ve never seen this effect before or since

  6. Leo Fogarty said
    on August 12, 2009

    Hi Rob

    I saw something similar in the serps but the breadcrumbs were displayed before the meta description. I got screenshots from 2 different search results but haven’t seen it since. I’ve added the screenshots to my blog post Google using Breadcrumbs in the Serps?

Continuing the Discussion

  1. Breadcrum Navigation in Google linked to this post on July 18, 2009

    [...] Navigation in Google Stephan Walcher schrieb am 18. Juli 2009 Rob Hammond hat einen interessanten Screenshot veröffentlicht in dem Google die Breadcrumb Navigation der [...]

  2. Google using breadcrumbs in search results pages (serps)? | Small Business and Local Search Engine Optimization and Marketing linked to this post on July 22, 2009

    [...] post from Rob Hammonds blog identifies a search he came across in which the breadcrumbs were listed in the SERPS (search engine [...]

  3. Google using Breadcrumbs in the Serps? | Leo Fogarty .com linked to this post on August 12, 2009

    [...] the serps regarding breadcrumbs. Rob Hammond also came across some strange results which utilised breadcrumbs in the url structure of the search results. Screenshot [...]

  4. Google Testing Breadcrumb Navigation In SERPs - Red Cardinal linked to this post on August 13, 2009

    [...] other reports of this test, with screenshots, over here. Interesting test, and I wonder how where the breadcrumbs are coming from? [...]

  5. Google Testing Breadcrumb Trail in SERP Results | SEO Addicted linked to this post on August 20, 2009

    [...] Hammond noticed that Google is testing breadcrumbs showing up in the SERPs instead of site sub-folders for the URL. [...]